Integrating for Fourier Series

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating two integrals involving sine and cosine functions for positive integers m and n. The first integral, \(\frac{1}{L}\int^{L}_{-L}\sin(\frac{n \pi x}{L})\sin(\frac{m \pi x}{L})dx\), leads to confusion as the user finds it results in \(I = \frac{n^{2}}{m^{2}}I\), which is nonsensical. The second integral, \(\frac{1}{L}\int^{L}_{-L}\sin(\frac{n \pi x}{L})\cos(\frac{m \pi x}{L})dx\), is confirmed to be zero using Mathematica. The discussion suggests using trigonometric identities to simplify the integrals and recommends graphical analysis for better understanding.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Fourier Series concepts
  • Familiarity with integral calculus
  • Knowledge of trigonometric identities
  • Experience with Mathematica for computational verification
NEXT STEPS
  • Study trigonometric identities such as \( \sin A \sin B \) and \( \sin A \cos B \)
  • Learn to perform integrals involving trigonometric functions
  • Explore graphical methods for visualizing sine and cosine wave interactions
  • Practice using Mathematica for symbolic integration
USEFUL FOR

Students studying calculus, particularly those focusing on Fourier Series, mathematicians seeking to understand integral properties of trigonometric functions, and anyone using Mathematica for mathematical computations.

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Homework Statement


For positive integers m and n, calculate the two integrals:

[tex]\frac{1}{L}\int^{L}_{-L}sin(\frac{n \pi x}{L})sin(\frac{m \pi x}{L})dx[/tex] and [tex]\frac{1}{L}\int^{L}_{-L}sin(\frac{n \pi x}{L})cos(\frac{m \pi x}{L})dx[/tex]

Homework Equations


[tex]\int u v' dx = [u v] - \int u' v dx[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution


For the first one, I can't seem to get anything other than 0 for the integral (but not in the normal way). If I work through, I end with [tex]I = \frac{n^{2}}{m^{2}}I[/tex] and that makes no sense at all. Every other part of the integral I find cancels to 0 as they all include [tex]sin(\frac{n \pi x}{L}) or sin(\frac{m \pi x}{L})[/tex] which will be 0 as n and m are integers. What am I doing wrong?

Edit: I plugged the two integrals into Mathematica and found the second one to be 0, which I calculated, but the first one is not. What do I need to change in my working?
 
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You could use the relations

[tex]sinAsinB=\frac{cos(A-B)-cos(A+B)}{2}[/tex]

[tex]sinAcosB=\frac{sin(A+B)+sin(A-B)}{2}[/tex]

This will make your integration easy.
It is better to view graphically too. Try to plot multiplication of two sine waves of different frequencies ( a sin and cos wave of different frequencies also) and see graphically. You can guess their average value graphically. In fact that is the result of your integration also.
 

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